Washing-machine latch



J. B. MOREY WASHING MACHINE LATCH' 9 Filed April 25. 1925 Aug. 24, 1926. Y

Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

UNITED STATI-1s PATENT OFFICE.

JUNE B. MOR/EY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

WAsHING-MAoI-IINE LATCH.

Application filed April 25, 1925. serial No. 25,732.

member or drum remain open and be posi-'- tively prevented from closing. It is 'also necessary to providea catch which will continue to retain saidfdoor open even though the drum revolvesslightly.

The objects of the invention are to provide a catch'forfthe door of a washing` machine which positively engages said door and which must vbe manually disengaged before said door will' closeyto continuato engage said door by a catch during slight.

rotation of the drum; to provide a catch which is out of the way; is adapted to use with single or double doors; maybe easily adjusted and made withV duplicateparts; to secure-simplicity of construction and operration; and to obtain other. advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description. 1

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals of referenceA indicate similar parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a washing machine with the door tothe rotating drum held open by my vimproved catch; l' f;

Figure 2 is a plan view of my improved catch mounted on a'portion ofa washing machine with double doors, parts being'V in sectionfor greater clarity; Figure 3 isa side elevation ofthe' said catch,.and f' i Figure-4t is a plan view corresponding to Figure 2, showing the invention applied to a washing machinev with asingle door.y

In the specilicembodiment of the-invention illustrated in said drawing, the reference numerallv indicates ther housing or outer drum ofY a washing?. machina-'said housing being shown as cylindrical. Within the' housingfl'is. `a concentric rotating member or drum 2. Both the housing and drum have door openings 3 and 4 respectively with suitable closures therefor. In

the drawing is shown a hinged door 5 for rotating member or drum 2 adapted to open outwardly and upwardly through the opening 3 in the housing l. It is this'door 5 that my present invention is intended to retain open when'desired. It may here 'be noted that some machines are provided with two doors arranged longitudinally of the drum with a space between the ends there- `of as shown in Figure 2.

My improved catch comprises a bracket 6 secured by screws'or otherwise adjacent the upper edge of opening Spin.i said-hous-` ing at a position betw'eenthe planes ofthe adjacent ends of the drum doors 5. Said bracket 6 provides a recess 7 openingtoward )the opening ofsaidV "housing` and adapted to receive the ends of adjustable catch members. 1n the construction shown more particularly in Figures l, 2 and 3, are shown catch membersS, 8 which are preferably duplicates, Ahaving their outer ends 9, 9, offset in opposite directions, and the4 inner ends l0, l0 flatwise together sov the two members assembled resemble a timing fork in appearance. Said outer ends 9, 9 are vpreferably offset so the distance'from the outer face of one to the outer face of the other is substantially equalto the distance between the ends of the doors. At

vthe outer ends of said members and on the outer sides thereof are: wedge shaped latches 11, l1, the small ends of which are next to the outerl ends'of said members.k The parts are so arranged and shaped that as ,the doors 5 are opened the edges thereof will engage the sloping portions of said wedges and swing the catch members until the ends of said latches snap in behind the marginal edges of said doors. It is to be observed that the catch members are preferably resilient so as to obtain this snapping engagement of the latches. If preferred, a spiral spring l2 pressing outwardly between .the catch members may be employed as theV entire or as supplemental resilient means for securing this snapping engagement. A bolt 13, positioned crosswise between said catch members free to slide with respect to said members not only supports said spiral spring, but constitutes a stop for limiting the outward swing of said members to the distance between its ends of the doorsv From the above description it is to be understood that the inner ends of saidI catch members are side by side and are slid into and held fixed within recess 7 of bracket 6, said bracket being provided with a set screw 14 at one side for that purpose. The recess 7 in said bracket 6 is of such shape as to substantially lit the widt-h of said members, but large enough vertically and longitudinally to enable said members to be inserted more or less or vtilted slightly up or down so as to enable the catch members to be properly adjusted with respect tov the doors.

In operation it will be seen that the doors, either or both, may be swung up and engaged by the latchesforming part of said catch members. Since these latches operate to engage the doors at their side edges, they may slide along said edges without relearing the doors, and therefore, even though the drum may rotate somewhat, the door will merely slide back and'forth and continue to be held open.

Where the machine is equipped with only one door, it is unnecessary and in no way desirable to employ a double catch. It is accordingly believed within the scope of the invention to employ a fixed catch member in place of one of the resilient catch members above described for the spiral spring to engage against and to support the bolt limiting swing` of said resilient member. As illustrative of such construction, I have shown in Figure l a portion of a washing machine housing l, drum 2, with door 5 as heretofore described as well as a bracket 6 with recess 7 and a pair of catch members mounted therein, one of which, 8, next to the door 5 has an offset outer end 9 and an inner end 1G, the outer end having a wedgeshaped latch 11 all as heretofore described. rEhe other catch member, as sho-wn in Figure 4l, comprises a straight and preferably nonresilient bar l5. Said bar l5 and the inner end 10 of the other catch member are positioned ilatwise together and mounted in the recess of the bracket, being held in adjusted position by a set screw 14. A bolt 13 extends between the two members 8 and l5, limiting resilient swinging of the one member 8 ontwardly. A spring l2 on said bolt between said menibers will tend to maintain the resi-lient member in its outward position.

Obviously other detail changes and modifications may be made in the manufacturev and use of my improved washing machine catch, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact structure shown except as set` forth in the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, I claim 1. In combination with a washing machine having a hinged door, a catch iXedly mounted on said washing machine, said catch engaging said door in open position at the side edge of said door.

2. In combination with a washing machine having a hinged door, a resilient catch IiXedly mounted on said washing machaine, said catch adapted to snap under and engage said door at the side edge thereof, said catch being positioned to engageand hold the door when said door is open.

In combination with a drum washing machine having a pair of hinged doors, a catch iixedly mounted on said washing machine, said catch arranged between the paths of swinging of said doors and having means for separately engaging and holding said doors,

l. In combina-tion with a washing machine having a housing with an opening and a drum within the housing having an opening, the opening in said drum having a pair of hinged doorslongitudinally separated, a catch on the housing arranged between the paths of swinging Aof said doors and having means for separately engaging said doors at their side edges and holding said doors open.

5. In combination with a washing machine having a hinged door, and means for retaining 4said door in abnormal open position comprising` a bracket onthe washingV machine, a resilient catch member projecting from said bracket, and means on said catch member for engaging said door at its side edge and hold said door open. 1

6. In combination with a washing machine having a .hingedv door, and means flXedly mounted on said washing machine for retaining said door in abnormal open position comprising a bracket, a catch meinber projecting from said bracket adapted to'|` engage said door at its side edge, and resilient means for pressing said catch member toward the side edge of said door. Y

7. In combination with a washing machine having a hinged door, and means iixedlymounted on said washing machine for retaining said door in abnormal open position comprising a bracket, a catch'member projecting from said bracket adapted to engage said door at its side edge, resilient means for pressing said catch member toward the side edge of said door, landmeans for limiting the swinging of said catch member by said resilient means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

v JUNE B. Moser; 

